Discussions

Not an ad but wish it was! I heard the local radio broadcast on the Jan. 21st with Dr.Decter. Because of all the press generated by the doctor, I believe most of you are aware of the topic. One man phoned in re: he and his wife’s predicament. She had medical problems (apparently in part caused by portion of a surgical instrument breaking off during an operation) that were a constant source of concern. He related that upon attending the ER and after some tests were taken the ER doctor told them “I don’t know what’s wrong so go home and see your family doctor” (that’s the gist of it). He asked Dr. Decter about the response and he didn’t have an answer for him (no fault on his part). But there in lies the need, that man was left to his own devices, he was clearly stressed as must have been his wife and he had no one to turn too. I’m not talking about the “cry me a river” or the “I can empathize” response but one where an advocate for the patient becomes involved, someone with knowledge of the system and the avenues to travel down “with and for” the patient and ensure that all that could be done was in fact being done. It does no good to just shrug your shoulders and walk away. There is so much hype around doctor and nurse burnout (broader term healthcare professionals) I refer to the two professions because people relate more to ‘in your face’ workers than those behind the scene.  
We wait in, appropriately named, waiting rooms, clinics, dr’s offices, ER’s, hospital ( dare I say that word)rooms. We seem to spend our time waiting in the hopes that our questions will be if not answered at least listened to seriously and appropriate action taken to find an answer. We aren’t to complain, we are to be happy with what we have in fact thankful, and we mustn’t alienate the profession it may effect our treatment or lack of.  
What about the patient burnout, after all, the patient has the most to lose sometimes their lives. We need an advocate!